The present invention relates generally to the field of refrigerators, and more specifically, to a refrigerator having a hinge and closure device.
It is generally known to provide a hinge and closure device for refrigerators. Such a hinge and closure device is typically provided with a series of plate members attached to one or both of the refrigerator body and the refrigerator door, and may include a biasing mechanism such as a spring that provides a bias force tending to close the door, thereby assisting users in closing the door and preventing the refrigerator door from remaining in an open position.
However, typical hinge and closure devices have several disadvantages. For example, the hinge and closure devices often require several plates to be attached to the refrigerator door and/or the refrigerator body to provide both the pivoting hinge action and to permit proper functioning of a biasing device. The plates are typically oriented in a “stacked” position such that they lie one above another in a vertical direction. Having plates stacked in such a manner can be unsightly to users of the refrigerator and can create difficulties in fitting the refrigerator into the often limited areas available for installation (e.g., in a household kitchen).
Another disadvantage of typical hinge and closure devices is that they often provide no or very cumbersome door adjustment features. In order to ensure proper functioning of the refrigerator doors and avoid having crooked or otherwise improperly mounted refrigerator doors, refrigerator doors often require some adjustment during installation, even though the doors may have been initially adjusted by, for example, the manufacturer of the refrigerator. Often times, the adjustment features are in areas that are difficult to access, or may require that one or more of the doors be opened or removed from the refrigerator in order to properly adjust the doors, making the adjustment of the refrigerator doors a cumbersome process.
Yet another disadvantage of many typical hinge and closure devices is that the biasing mechanisms used provide a generally constant force, such that additional components, such as detents, etc., are required to maintain the door in an open position. It may be inconvenient to users trying to handle refrigerated items to also have to continuously prevent the door from closing, or to have to overcome the uneven resistance provided by detents, etc.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a hinge and closure mechanism that minimizes “stacking” of hinge plate components and provides a low profile for the hinge and closure device. It would also be advantageous to provide a hinge and closure device that provides for easy adjustability of the refrigerator doors without the need to open or remove the refrigerator doors. It would also be advantageous to provide a hinge and closure device that permits a door to remain open at certain desired positions, and provides a smooth transition to application of a closing force to the door.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a hinge and closure device for a refrigerator having one or more of these or other advantageous features. To provide an inexpensive, reliable, and widely adaptable hinge and closure device that avoids the above-referenced and other problems would represent a significant advance in the art.